Windows are installed into buildings and vehicles to enable light (e.g., sunlight) to pass inside a building or vehicle (generally referred to as “structure”) from outside while preventing external objects, animals, weather, and/or noise from entering the interior of the structure. As used herein, a window means an opening in a wall, door, roof, or vehicle that allows for the passage of light and, if not closed or sealed, air and sound. The windows may be configured to pass at least some visible light to the interior of the structure and may generally be made of a material that is transparent or partially transparent (i.e., translucent) such as glass. The windows may provide lighting to the interior of the structure and enable a person to view inside and outside of the structure. However, the windows may be impacted by sharp, heavy, and/or fast objects or weather that may cause the windows to be damaged or broken. For example, a hurricane may include high-speed winds that impact the windows of a building and/or throw wind-borne debris (e.g., branches and rocks) at the windows and cause the windows to break, leaving the window opening breached. The air pressure within the building may rapidly increase as a result and cause another structure such as another window, a door, and/or a roof to be damaged. The pieces of the broken windows may be thrown by the wind and potentially cause harm to a person.
Replacing windows in a building or vehicle may be costly and/or inconvenient to an owner of the structure. Although insurance providers may cover some costs related to replacing windows, structures with repeated window damage or structures located in areas with a high risk of potential window damage (e.g., a location having frequent hurricanes, tornadoes, or severe thunderstorms) may be subject to reduced insurance coverage and/or increased insurance costs for the structure.
Insurance providers may provide incentives (e.g., extended coverage, reduced costs, etc.) for the owner of the structure and/or a policy holder (also referred to as an “insured”) covering the structure to install windows including preventative measures against damaging and/or breaking. The windows with preventative measures may reduce the risk of damaged windows, breached window openings, and the cost of replacing the windows frequently. However, the windows with preventative measures may cost substantially more than windows without preventative measures. The owner and/or the policy holder may be averse to spending additional money that may not generate any additional savings to help cover the cost of the windows. The windows may be a preventative feature and any savings generated by the windows may not be easily quantified for the owner and/or policy holder to justify the additional cost.
In some known systems, photovoltaic (PV) systems and other energy producing systems may be installed with other structures to provide a self-sufficient energy source. The PV system may be, for example, an array of PV cells configured to convert solar energy to electrical energy. The energy production of PV systems may be enticing to owners of the structures as a way to reduce utility (e.g., electricity) costs and/or generate additional revenue (i.e., selling energy produced by the PV system to others). The reduced costs and/or additional revenue may cover the cost of installing the PV system over time. However, some PV systems may require a large amount of installation space for absorbing solar energy that may not be available to the structures. For example, some buildings in cities may not have enough space to be able to install a PV system that is large enough to produce enough electrical energy to justify the cost of the PV system.